Consumed Heart
by Melissa Norvell
Summary: ONE SHOT. KakaSaku. CONTEST ENTRY FOR KAKAXSAKUCLUB ON DA. “I can’t bring your parents back.” Kakashi said, looking down as her hair shaded her eyes in sorrow.


**A/N: I know I've been low on updates, but life is busy at the moment and I'll be going to the fair soon. I also needed to get this done by the 30th of this month, so I decided to take time off from my other fanfics to write this one.**

**It's KakaSaku, so enjoy!**

**Info. Junk.**

**Title: Consumed Heart**

**Author: Melissa Norvell**

**Rating: PG-13/T**

**Pairing: KakaSaku**

**Summary: ONE SHOT. KakaSaku. CONTEST ENTRY FOR KAKAXSAKU-CLUB ON DA. "I can't bring your parents back." Kakashi said, looking down as her hair shaded her eyes in sorrow.**

**Consumed Heart**

**Melissa Norvell**

As bad as the nostalgia hit her, she knew that he didn't mean to hurt her.

It was Sakura's birthday, and she knew that today, of all days was the worst possible one to be feeling sorrowful and nostalgic. She didn't mean to make her sensei feel bad about his gift, but she was still in pain from what happened to her a year ago. Sakura couldn't forget about her parent's murder. Kakashi had lost as well…And that's what made them similar.

Putting her hand into her pocket, she grasped something then slowly pulled her clenched hand out, staring at it as she had wondered how long she'd abandon his gift. She stood still for a few moments, eyes intently transfixed on her hand, as if she were physically trying to will it open. Once she managed to pull it off, the determinations that had once shone in her vibrant, expressive eyes melted away, giving way to feelings of sorrow as her mouth was plastered with a deep-set frown.

Memories flooded through her mind almost instantly at the sight of her gift. The pink haired girl reached down with her other hand to grasp the object between two fingers, the silky fabric feeling smooth and cold against her hands as they held what appeared to be a navy blue ribbon. The fabric even held some of the blood and debris that were placed there the fateful day of the murder. Though it held dirt and blood, the dull navy fabric still remained, as if time had rewound and the day her parents were killed had just taken place.

To Sakura, it had seemed that way. So many memories were locked inside of something as simple as a hair ribbon. She wasn't quite sure of what to think, and which memories outweighed the others-happiness or sorrow? The pink haired girl remembered them all too vividly and yet she didn't want to remember them at all. She wanted to forget them, but her psyche wouldn't allow it. She wanted to let go, but at the same time, feared forgetting the moment completely.

This mental anguish made the girl hurt, not only mentally but physically. She could feel a burning sensation that was so strong that it made her want to shed tears, even though the pain was old. Sakura marveled at how much it still hurt, and how simple things like hair ribbons affected her, even after a year had passed.

The girl stood there, gazing at the moon for quite sometime in silent nostalgia.

She was lost in the past that she dreaded remembering, but was afraid to lose. And her eyes watched the ribbon as a bittersweet smile crossed her face.

The girl remembered how her mother would tie her hair back in a navy blue ribbon before she went out to play. She would always do something…

"_Well Sakura, since I'm running a little low on cash, this is the only gift I can offer. I'll get you something better when I'm not so poor. I'm sure you understand." _

Pain ripped Sakura's heart in two at the mere thought of Kakashi's actions earlier that day or the thought of her parents. She closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of such happy images.

She had wished she never ran into Kakashi today. In fact, she wished she'd never remembered something as miniscule as a simple ribbon. Then she couldn't be so vulnerable to something like that. Old wounds always hurt the most because they never healed, they were like illusions that came back with old pain, ready to attack and subjugate one to vulnerability at any moment, without warning.

She clenched the ribbon in her hands and winced in pain.

Xxx…

From a far, mismatched eye watched her pain, feeling sympathy for her.

He had remembered how Sakura reacted to his gift, and was confused and hurt at first, thinking that she didn't like it or he had offended her, but later on, Sakura told him the reason why she reacted in such a way. He regretted giving her such a gift. Kakashi missed the old spunky Sakura. He missed that gentleness about her.

And now he was watching that very person as soon as he returned from a nightly mission. He felt something that he couldn't describe…It had been a while since Sakura was first assigned to be his student. She held so many emotions- lust, pain, fear and gentility but there was something odd about his fascination he was showing.

Even though he couldn't quite understand what he was feeling. His urge to comfort. He wanted to make her feel better and he had everything to return to Sakura.

Xxx…

Later on the next day, Sakura walked along a dirt path, dimly lit by the light of the crescent moon, which loomed sorrowfully among the stars. She was tired, the aching in her joints was dull but constant and if she saw another kunai knife, she'd put her chakra to good use.

Suddenly, she stopped, feeling a sign of presence of chakra in the area. A serious and stone cold look crossed her face as she turned around, preparing to perform a hand sign.

Her eyes went wide at the figure behind her. The moonlight was particularly luminescent on what appeared to be a familiar 31 year old man. Making him radiate with an almost urethral and celestial beauty.

"Good evening, Sakura." He greeted, a bit of sorrow still clung stubbornly to her voice, though he had tried to rid himself of it.

"Don't 'good evening' me!" Sakura snapped, but her voice still held relief as she crossed her arms and frowned, almost looking pouty. "You shouldn't go stalking people in the middle of the night like that!"

"About that…" Kakashi sweat dropped.

Sakura sighed in slight irritation and walked a few paces ahead. "What makes you think like that, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked down as he heard a graceful movement. He wanted to comfort her, but she was still angry and she had every right.

No matter how she hid her sorrow with malice at times, he wasn't convinced that her sorrow had melted away. He didn't care if it was wrong by moral standards to feel the way he did about his student. She was 17 now, practically a woman and capable of her own decisions. Kakashi knew good and well that people didn't know him if they judged him, it didn't matter. This is what felt right. He lived the way he wanted to live, with a purpose and a way of the shinobi.

Sakura was different. She made him feel in a way that no other was capable of making him feel – not even her beloved Sasuke. He wanted everything about her. The jounin didn't know how to tell her the foreign feelings that were awoken inside of him. Even if he tried, he didn't think he could be able to describe them.

He wanted to give her a proper birthday present. One that didn't evoke such sadness.

Mustering up his courage, he decided it was now never.

"Sakura." He called out in a burst, as if he were holding it back for quite sometime.

Sakura turned around to face Kakashi, wondering the whole time why he was out this late at night.

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Can you do something for me?" The silver haired man asked, a serious tone laced into his voice.

Sakura was perplexed by this. "Do something for you? Well, I'll try my best. What do you want me to do?"

"Close your eyes."

"What?" Confusion shot through green orbs.

"Please Sakura. You said you'd give it your best." Mismatched eyes stared back at green, giving her a reassuring look that he wasn't going to try anything.

But the kunoichi didn't know what to think…Though Kakashi didn't look suspicious. She closed her eyes to uttered a positive response.

"Just trust me." The jounin replied as he reached for her hitai-ate, slowly taking it off. Creamy skin flinched at the touch.

He paused when he noticed that she was wearing his present. The man now knew that she didn't want to be shadowed by her painful past, so hopefully the ribbon would mean something more then that now.

Images of them together ran through the man's head as he slightly flushed pink and shifted uncomfortably. He could see that his student twitched nervously. She was too trustful…Even though she had seemed so brave, Kakashi took the time to notice how beautiful she was. The ninja couldn't help it. These weird sensations were growing stronger and stronger.

"It's alright, Sakura." Kakashi replied, leaving out the respective honorific, and meaning to for some odd and cryptic reason.

Sakura wanted to open her eyes, but she knew that she owed him for hurting his feelings by reacting to his present in such an ungrateful manner. For that, and many other reasons, she kept her eyes shut. These questions were so complex that she couldn't answer them alone. Usually, she felt apprehensive about being left vulnerable and would have preferred to shy away then let someone blindside her, but she remained calm. She knew something was going to happen, and she wanted that something to happen.

Kakashi took the ribbon out of her hair, watching as the many tresses of bubblegum pink locks fell about her shoulder. He had marveled at the way her hair fell before running his hands through it gently and soothingly a couple of times, before he tenderly pulled it back, wrapping the ribbon underneath of it and tying it in a pretty bow on the side of her head.

Sakura realized what Kakashi was trying to do…He was trying to imitate what her mother did when she was young. She could no longer keep her word. Her eyes opened.

Their eyes met and she couldn't help but notice how much complex emotion resided in them. And how the Sharingan held her attention with its blood red hue. It was captivating. He, in turn downed himself in her viridian depths. Sakura froze, her breath caught in her throat.

No one moved.

No one wanted to either.

Without breaking eye contact, Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way.

But for her teacher to do this to her. For Kakashi to take her hitai-ate and tie the once hidden ribbon, exposing her pain to the world. For her to be feeling this way…and not thinking twice about Sasuke…Emotions flowed to her heart and she could only murmur one word.

"You."

"I can't bring your parents back." Kakashi said, looking down as her hair shaded her eyes in sorrow.

"Why?" Sakura asked. Her mind was jumbled. Kakashi was so…overwhelming…

"Don't remember this present as something harmful or negative." A gloved hand caressed the fragile bow kindheartedly with his fingertips, they were beginning to tremble a little with mixed emotions…Sadness, nostalgia, anguish…and yet, something else…

Kakashi gave her a quick, fleeting kiss before he preformed Substitution Jutsu and poofed his way out, leaving Sakura alone, standing on the moonlit path. Her face flushed a little, not with embarrassment, but with both warm feelings and a rush of emotion.

She fingered the bow in her hair a little. "My present huh?" She touched her lips lightly where he had kissed her.

Sakura had decided that it wasn't so bad to be sad on your birthday, as long as someone else was there to help you through it.

**END**

**A/N: That's it! Sorry for it being so long. I'm going to get around to updating my other stuff soon. Expect some updates soon. I'll be working on Mission: Freak Out Kakashi and Captive Heart, so stay tuned.**

**Please R&R and tell me if it's contest winning material!**


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